


Misplaced Betrayal

by thejurassicparty



Series: Emotional Motion Sickness [2]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, The Mandalorian (TV)
Genre: But we're getting there, Din is a himbo who knows nothing about Star Wars, Din learns who Boba Fett is, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, He's not too happy about Boba's past, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Post-Episode: s2e6 The Tragedy, Pre-Relationship, They aren't together yet, They'll be dating soon, hopefully lol, lore isn't completely accurate but i dont care lol, takes place a few hours after Despair Isn't Silent
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-20
Updated: 2020-12-20
Packaged: 2021-03-11 03:21:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,177
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28188378
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thejurassicparty/pseuds/thejurassicparty
Summary: A few hours after his emotional breakdown in Nevarro, Din is ready to leave the planet to begin the search for his kid.Collecting Cara so they can leave aboard the Slave 1, Din is shocked to learn about the past of Boba Fett, someone he was quickly beginning to trust. Din, choosing to confront the man, must decide whether he was right to trust Boba Fett, or whether he had been betrayed by the other Mandalorian.(Technically can be read as a standalone, but it references the events of Despair Isn't Silent)
Relationships: Din Djarin & Boba Fett, Din Djarin & Cara Dune, Din Djarin/Boba Fett
Series: Emotional Motion Sickness [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2054424
Comments: 12
Kudos: 181





	Misplaced Betrayal

**Author's Note:**

> This is part 2 in my little Boba/Din series "Emotional Motion Sickness" and I hope you enjoy it!
> 
> I wrote this because I wanted someone to finally inform Din about the man he is traveling with; because in the show, Din clearly has no idea who Boba Fett is lol
> 
> Beta'd by the fantastic mando-meer over on Tumblr <3

“Are you ready to head out?”, Din asked as he walked into Cara’s office for the second time that day.

“Yeah, just give me a minute. I gotta finish something up first.” Din watched from inside the doorway as Cara focused on the terminal in front of her, occasionally pressing a button as she seemed to decide something.

After a few minutes of waiting for Cara, Din was starting to get restless, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. The sporadic beeps from the terminal were making him feel on edge, still drained from his earlier outburst. Sighing in frustration, Din crossed his arms to prevent himself from fidgeting and leaned his shoulder against the door frame he stood in.

Sighing pointedly, “Is this going to take much longer?”

Amused at the man’s impatience, Cara let out a chuckle and turned her face away from the terminal to look at her friend. “I know you’re anxious to get your kid, but I’m a Marshal now, which means there are some protocols I gotta jump through before doing something like this.” She paused before looking back at the machine in front of her. “Do you want to get Mayfield or not?” All traces of amusement were gone from her voice.

Uncrossing his arms, Din moved further into the room to sit on the corner of Cara’s desk. “Mayfield is my only hope for finding Gideon’s location.” Shaking his head, Din chose to stare at the floor rather than Cara. “He’s my only chance at getting the kid back.” This was answer enough to her question.

A heavy silence permeated the room as Cara continued to work on her terminal. Din sat morosely by the ex-shocktrooper as he thought about what has happened so far and what could possibly happen in the future. Fortunately, he no longer felt panic rise in his chest when thinking about Grogu, his breakdown in the old covert leaving him emotionally exhausted. However, this did not fully remove the anxiety buzzing under his skin, and he was sure it would not go away until Grogu was safely back in his arms.

Cara stood up suddenly, shocking Din out of his thoughts as he looked up at her. “There!” She exclaimed proudly. “We should be all set now to pick up the  _ Imp _ .” Her emphasis on the last word clearly showing her disgust. 

Din stood up to be eye level with Cara, before asking expectantly. “Are you ready to go then?”

Walking out from around her desk, Cara slapped Din on one of his pauldrons with a smile on her face. “Yeah. Let’s get outta here. We have a kid to save.” While saying this, she slung a small bag of personal supplies over her shoulder before marching towards the doorway of her office. She threw a glance over her shoulder at the still Mandalorian near her desk. “Are you coming or what?” She said, pointing a thumb towards the street outside the door.

The direct question spurring Din into action, he followed Cara out of the room and into the busy streets of Nevarro. The two friends walked together in compatible silence as they made their way to where the  _ Slave 1 _ was stationed at the other end of the small city. Occasionally they were stopped when a civilian or two approached Cara, striking up conversation with the marshal, but despite these interruptions the two of them were making good time towards their destination. It only took a few more minutes of walking until the ship finally came into view. 

Din was walking calmly, but with purpose, to where the  _ Slave 1 _ was parked alongside other ships, eager to get off Nevarro. Glancing to his side, Din went to point out the ship they were going to board, before quickly noticing the empty space beside him where Cara was moments ago. Abruptly stopping, Din spun on his heels to look behind him, seeing Cara frozen in her tracks a few feet away. Before Din could call out to ask her why she stopped, the woman in question marched back over to him. Opening his mouth to ask what her problem was, Din was cutoff as Cara roughly grabbed his elbow, dragging him into the nearest alley. 

Once in the alleyway, Cara released his arm before flicking her eyes around to make sure they were alone. Seeing that the alley was clear, she turned her attention to the Mandalorian in front of her, arms crossed. 

Standing in a dead end alley for the second time that day, Din could not stop his mind from flashing back to the last time he found himself in an alleyway like this one.

_ “At least this isn’t the same alley.” _ Din cringed, remembering the emotional weakness he had shown.

Din was quickly brought back to the present by the sound of Cara loudly clearing her throat. Looking at the woman’s face, it was obvious to Din that she was waiting impatiently for an answer. Unfortunately for her, Din did not know what the question was.

“What?” He said, confusion clear in his voice.

Barely getting the word out of his mouth, Cara interrupted him with a terse, “Was that the ship you were planning to take?”, obviously referencing the  _ Slave 1 _ . Cara’s whole body was tense as she said this, as if preparing for a fight, but Din still could not figure out what the threat was.

“Yes?” Din drawled out slowly, tilting his head in confusion. 

This response prompted a frustrated growl from the woman in front of him, confusing the man even further. 

“I already told you that the  _ Razor Crest _ was destroyed.” He defended, voice shaking slightly at the mention of his old ship. Din crossed his arms in front of him for comfort. 

Cara’s eyes softened at his grief before becoming hard again. “I know that.” A Pause. “The problem is the specific ship we’re taking.” 

Growing annoyed from his own confusion and Cara’s cageyness, Din could not help but to snap at her. “What’s wrong with it?”

Frustration clear in every line of her body, Cara threw her hands up, an irritated noise leaving her mouth. Realizing this line of questioning was getting her nowhere, Cara tried to calm down. Crossing her arms back over her chest, Cara took a few steadying breaths to cool down her temper before continuing.

Letting out a forced sigh, Cara looked at Din. “Who did you say you were traveling with?”

“I didn’t.”

This non-answer only got him a huff in response. 

“I’m traveling with two others; Fennec Shand and Boba Fett.”

As soon as he stopped speaking Din saw the ex-shocktrooper’s entire body lockup, something akin to fear on her face before it disappeared just as quickly. Anxious over the sudden fear, Din snapped his head to the entrance of the alley, half expecting to see a blaster pointed at them. Seeing no sign of danger, he shifted his eyes back to Cara, curious to know what caused her to react that way.

“What’s wrong?” He questioned firmly.

Din watched as Cara’s mouth formed into a sneer.“I said I would help you bust Mayfield out of prison. I did  _ not _ agree to work with more than one Imp.”

“Fennec seems trustworthy for now; She agreed to help save the kid. Plus, I could use all the help we can get.” Din said this, trying to ease the woman’s concerns. However, as Cara’s face switched from anger to confusion, Din knew what he said did not have the desired effect. 

“Fennec? What?” Cara scoffed. “I’m not talking about her. At least I wasn’t.”

Cold realization washed over him at her words. Thinking of the man that has already helped him in more ways than one, he croaked out, “Fett?” Din felt unsteady on his feet for the third time that day.

Noticing the man’s unexpected change in demeanor, Cara furrowed her brow before questioning Din. “You do know who Boba Fett is, right?” She leaned forward as she said this, forcing Din to look at her.

Din did not know how to reply to this. He knew Boba Fett was a skilled warrior and a fellow Mandalorian, but he just met the man, so what did he really know about him? Mind drifting to earlier in the day, Din thought about how Boba offered him comfort. Boba provided him with a silent stability, something Din did not even know he needed until it was given to him freely. Boba  _ seemed _ like an honorable man, but what did Din truly know?

Taking his prolonged silence as an answer, “Boba Fett is an imperial lap dog.” Cara hissed out. “He was practically Darth Vader’s right-hand man. God knows how much death that bastard caused.”

Din’s blood turned to ice as she confirmed his fears. 

‘ _ Fett worked for the Empire? If he worked for the Empire, is he working for Gideon now? _ ’

Panic spiked through Din as he thought about Boba Fett. Din had placed trust in the other Mandalorian, more so than he probably should have. He had even given the man his name, something he normally kept closely guarded. Din had greedily accepted the comfort Fett offered him; He had even reached out for it, asking for more. In this moment, Din felt betrayed, though he logically knew he had no right to that emotion. And regardless of entitlements, he was nearly shaking from his anger.

_ ‘What have I done?’ _

Cutting off Cara’s furious rant with a wave of his hand, Din turned his head towards the alley entrance. He knew what he had to do; He had to confront Fett. The other Mandalorian had too much sensitive information on himself and the kid, so he had to stop him from using it against them. 

Gulping, Din thought about the potential for a fight to break out between the two of them. If it came down to that, Din was not confident that he would be able to best the other man in combat. Despite this possibility, Din knew he had no real choice in the matter.

“Stay here or go back to your office. I have to speak to Fett.” Din’s voice was stiff. “Alone.”

Cara stepped forward, “You can’t fight Boba Fett alone. He’s too skilled to take on, even for you.” Her concerned voice echoing Din’s previous thoughts.

Din sighed. “I’m hoping it won’t come to that, but I have to do this alone.” Din was desperate to talk to the other man, demanding answers. “Trust me.”

Locking eyes with Cara through his visor, Din nodded his head at his friend before turning towards the alley’s exit. With his shoulders and arms stiff, Din made his way back out into the open, but not before swiftly kicking an empty box in anger.

As soon as Din left the alley, he pivoted on the spot, facing the direction of the  _ Slave 1.  _ Standing there in apprehension, Din sucked in one large breath before making his way to the ship with long strides. As he approached the ship, Din saw Fett and Fennec standing at the top of the ramp, seeming to be in conversation, but it was hard to tell for sure with Fett wearing his helmet. 

Din came to a stop at the bottom of the ramp, looking up at the two until they halted their conversation and turned their attention on him.

“I need to speak to  _ Boba Fett _ , alone.” The man’s name tasted sour in Din’s mouth.

Fennec Shand and Boba Fett looked at each other, then Din, before Fett made a small gesture to the sniper, indicating for her to leave. Nodding her head, Fennec walked down the ramp past Din, side-eyeing him as she went. Din waited until Fennec entered the city-proper before looking back up at Fett. He stood there, unsure how to proceed, until Fett nodded his head to the side, signaling for Din to follow him onto the  _ Slave 1 _ . As Fett escorted him into the ship, Din kept his hand near the blaster on his hip, unsure of where this confrontation was headed. 

Once inside the cargo hold of the  _ Slave 1 _ , Fett calmly approached the console table in the room, before turning to face Din, removing his helmet in the process.

“There’s no need for your blaster here. I thought we established that I am an ally, not an enemy.” 

“I thought we did too. That was until I learned you worked for the Empire.” Din’s accusation came out cold, his own feeling of betrayal coloring his words.

Fett slowly raised his brow at this. “I assumed you knew that already.”

“Why would I know that?” Was the hissed reply.

Fett looked down at the beat-up helmet in his hands, “To think I was once considered the most infamous bounty hunter in the galaxy.” A deep sigh left his mouth. “But much can change in five years.”

_ ‘The most infamous bounty hunter in the galaxy? What is he talking about?’  _ Din thought to himself as he stared in bewilderment at the older man.

Din could not stop himself. “What?”

Shifting his focus from his helmet, Fett looked back up at Din, eyes pinning the other man in place. “I see you do not know your recent history,” was the matter-of-fact response.

Din bristled at this, but Fett raised his gloved hand to stop the other man from interrupting him. “Yes, I once worked for the Empire. They found my skillset as a bounty hunter to be useful for their endeavors.”

No longer deeming him an immediate threat, Din took his hand off his blaster, choosing instead to cross his arms where he stood in the middle of the cargo hold. He was willing to listen to what the man had to say, despite the swirling emotions inside him telling Din to lash out. 

Lowering his hand to pat the helmet cradled in his left arm, Fett continued steadily, eyes drifting to look outside. “As you should know, bounty hunting is rarely stable work.” He paused. “Over the years I had built quite a reputation for myself, and it had spread through the galaxy. Many reached out to me, offering work, but my price was high. Not many could afford the credits, so work became slower and unreliable; Until the Empire contacted me.” Fett locked his gaze on Din. “Yes, I worked for the Empire. I even worked for Darth Vader himself, for a time.” Looking away, Fett stared forlornly down at his helmet, before turning slightly and placing it on the table behind him. “The credits were good, more than any bounty hunter could hope for,” Sighing, Fett straightened to his full height, serious eyes turning to study Din. “I did not kill indiscriminately, I was no soldier; I acted as my profession dictated, and I hunted individuals that the Empire deemed important enough.”

Din watched Boba Fett intently from behind his visor, intrigued but cautious, fingers twitching against his biceps.

Dark eyes bore into Din as Fett renewed his speech. “My loyalty was never to the Empire, only to myself. I take no pleasure in slaughtering innocents, so I refused to do so, even for them.”

Boba Fett took a wary step towards Din, watching for his reaction. When the younger man did not flinch away, Fett chanced taking another step closer, hands flipped palm side up to show he was not a threat. 

“The Empire left me for dead on Tatooine, and dead I remained for five years.”

Din’s breathing grew shallower as Boba Fett carefully drew closer to him. He was still somewhat wary of the bounty hunter, but he could not stop the spark of hope that maybe,  _ maybe _ , he was right to trust the man.

Now standing in front of Din, Boba Fett spoke softly, tone almost intimate. “I have returned from the dead, and it seems my new purpose is to keep you and your child safe.”

Din gasped audibly at the intimate words, arms uncrossing and falling to dangle at his side. He did not know how to react to what Boba said, he was not used to being spoken to like this. The words sat warmly in his chest, however, and they washed away any sense of betrayal that remained. Din’s easy trust in Boba now felt earned, rather than foolish.

Boba slowly reached out to Din with one hand, and when the other man did not move away, Boba grabbed his arm gently. Broad hand spreading warmth through Din’s body.

“I vowed to protect the child, and I vow to protect you as well.” Boba’s eyes searched Din’s visor. “I am on your side, Din.” 

Din choked on his words, left speechless by Boba’s honesty and the sound of his own name on the man’s lips. The hand on his forearm squeezed slightly, causing Din to look down at it. Hoping to receive comfort again, Din placed his hand on top of Boba’s, squeezing it in return.

“Thank you.” Din’s tongue was thick with emotion as he said this. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have jumped to conclusions without talking to you first.”

The hand gripped his arm tighter as Boba kept his dark eyes on him. “No apologies needed. You had no reason to trust me, you knew nothing of who I was. Besides, you have a little one to worry about; I might have done the same as you.” 

The two men stood together, allowing for a comfortable silence to stretch out around them. They felt relaxed in each other’s presence, and they allowed this momentary calm to ease the tensions of the day.

Boba squeezed the younger man’s arm one last time before dropping his hand. Nodding at Din, he walked back over to his helmet on the table behind them. Picking up his helmet with both hands, he brought it up and touched it to his forehead for a few moments before transferring it to the crook of his arm.

Din felt his entire body deflate in relief as he watched the man in front of him. Seeing Boba treat his armor with such care reminded him of himself, giving them something in common, something to bond over. Standing there Din knew he needed to report back to Cara to let her know everything was okay, and to also explain to her that Boba was trustworthy. For now, though, Din was content to stay in the other man’s sturdy presence. 

In front of him, Boba called to him over his shoulder. “My armor is in great need of a new coat of paint. Would you be interested in helping me?”

Din, seeing the offer for what it was, stepped closer to the man. “I would be honored to help you.” Din paused, thinking for a moment. “First, though, we should probably grab our friends so we can take off.”

“Yes,” Boba agreed. “That’s a smart plan.” Turning to face Din, he motioned to the ship’s exit. “Shall we?”

Din chuckled softly, “Let’s.” 

**Author's Note:**

> I already have more parts for this series in the works! And going forward, not all of them will be so close together chronologically, I just had multiple ideas for the aftermath of s2e6 lol
> 
> As always, friendly-criticism is wanted and encouraged!
> 
> Thank you for reading <3


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